Ad of the Day: Nissan

If you're the type of nut-job MacGyver with delusions of heroism who fantasizes about speeding onto a runway to catch an ailing commercial jetliner in the bed of your pickup truck, Nissan suggests considering its Frontier model.

In one new ad, a shaky first-person camera opens on a tense airport scene, where a crowd has gathered around a TV newscast to watch as a jumbo jet with busted wheels attempts an ill-advised crash landing—narrated gravely in the dulcet tones of a local anchor. But at the last possible moment, some unknown, brave, foolish driver races to the rescue, pulling up beneath the nose of the doomed jet and bringing it safely to the ground—presumably saving countless lives. The audience in the airport, meanwhile, dashes from the monitor to the window to watch live as Nissan saves the day.

The concept—that with your Frontier, anything is possible—is sound enough. The execution feels like something of a discordant hybrid, drawing stylistically from viral videos, which aspire to authenticity, while clearly owning up to the fact that it's an ad, with an event that doesn't even try to seem real.

A second spot in the rescue series, meanwhile, features a Frontier pushing a struggling sand buggy to the top of a dune—which seems a more plausible lift. Still, you probably shouldn't try it at home.

If you're the type of nut-job MacGyver with delusions of heroism who fantasizes about speeding onto a runway to catch an ailing commercial jetliner in the bed of your pickup truck, Nissan suggests considering its Frontier model.

In one new ad, a shaky first-person camera opens on a tense airport scene, where a crowd has gathered around a TV newscast to watch as a jumbo jet with busted wheels attempts an ill-advised crash landing—narrated gravely in the dulcet tones of a local anchor. But at the last possible moment, some unknown, brave, foolish driver races to the rescue, pulling up beneath the nose of the doomed jet and bringing it safely to the ground—presumably saving countless lives. The audience in the airport, meanwhile, dashes from the monitor to the window to watch live as Nissan saves the day.

The concept—that with your Frontier, anything is possible—is sound enough. The execution feels like something of a discordant hybrid, drawing stylistically from viral videos, which aspire to authenticity, while clearly owning up to the fact that it's an ad, with an event that doesn't even try to seem real.

A second spot in the rescue series, meanwhile, features a Frontier pushing a struggling sand buggy to the top of a dune—which seems a more plausible lift. Still, you probably shouldn't try it at home.